888 Sports Review

888 are widely regarded as one of the biggest and most influential companies in the gambling industry. Their sports arm – 888Sport – first opened their doors in 2008 and since then, they've been able to provide a massive wealth of sports betting markets across a range of platforms.

Their innovation within the industry has been key to moving the platform forward and tying up major contracts such as the first non-US company to be granted a Nevada Gaming license in 2013, along with countless sponsorship deals across the world of sport.

An aggressive yet rewarding approach to marketing has been a huge part of the success of 888Sport, recognised by awards such as Marketing Campaign of the Year at the annual Gaming Intelligence Awards in 2017.

WATCH: 888sports Video Review

Welcome Bonus

New accounts are going to be able to claim a classic welcome bonus; bet €10 and get €30 in free bets.

Simply open your account and make your first bet of €10 or more. Once the bet has been settled (completed) then the €30 free bet will be triggered and applied to your account.

You need to make sure your first bet is placed at odds of 1/2 (1.50) or greater and that you have placed the bet within 30 days of opening your account. It may take up to 72 hours after your bet has settled for the free bet to be credited to your account.

Enter the bonus code “30f” when you are prompted upon making your deposit.

Registration

One of the things that stood out with 888Sport is the smooth registration process. The initial phases cover all the basics, such as name, email, DOB and then you move into creating a username for your account.

The next step is one that we really like to see, and this is the verification process. You're going to need to upload a picture of your driving license to verify you are who you say you are. You can do this simply by taking a photo and uploading with your smartphone.

Note – If you don't have a driving license or have immediate access to it, then you can skip this step and come back to it later. Other forms of ID include ID Cards, utility bills, passport, bank statement or birth certificates.

Payments and Banking Methods

888Sport has a huge range of banking methods, which means that it caters for a vast number of players. It's worth noting that only some of the methods let you deposit and withdraw funds, where others will only let you deposit.

We found that the timeframes for most of the banking options were pretty conservative. For example, we made two withdrawals back to a debit card and both had been completed within 48 hours. We also tested PayPal, Neteller and Skrill, with all three hitting our account within 24 hours.

Another thing that you need to note is that you must withdraw back to the deposit method that you initially used. For example, if you deposit €10 with PayPal, you need to withdraw €10 back to PayPal before you can use another payment method.

Payment Method

Name

Deposit Amount

Withdrawal Amount

Withdraw Time

Trustly

€20 Min

-

7-10 Days

PayPal

€20 Min

€30,000 Max

2-3 Days

Skrill

€20 Min

€30,000 Max

2-3 Days

NETELLER

€10 Min

€30,000 Max

2-3 Days

MasterCard

€20 Min

€30,000 Max

6 Days

Maestro

€10 Min

€30,000 Max

10 Days

VISA

€20 Min

€30,000 Max

1-8 Days

Desktop/Mobile Experience

888Sport have only recently gone under a fairly hefty design change. The site was feeling a little dated if we are being honest, but the latest version has definitely freshened things up.

The site has a feel that it's trying to bring the success of the mobile betting app to the desktop screen. We don't necessarily think it's perfect, but it is a vast improvement.

One of the key inclusions for us was that of the search feature and if you're new to a site, this is often the best way to get about. The homepage includes a lot of information about current sports and markets, but we found that digging into the sports and menus was where the section of the site excelled.

The first thing to note for mobile is that there is no native app for Android and to access it you will need to visit the site from your browser. iOS users can download from the Apple Store, but both the layouts are exactly the same.

The mobile experience for us is one of the best things about 888Sport. We are seeing it more and more now, but without doubt, the best way to access and use 888Sport is with your mobile.

It's a super-intuitive experience and the integrated menu bar at the top means you are never too far away from where you started. You've also got built-in live streaming into the app as well, which functions flawlessly.

iOS users are also going to enjoy Touch ID to log in with!

Sports and Markets Available at 888

888Sport comes fully loaded with an impressive array of both sports and betting markets. The bookmaker has an in-depth link to football and horse racing as their “bread and butter”, although they've upped their work within less-popular sports over the last 12 months, which has been impressive to see.

Of course, 888 offers sports which are the staple of sportsbooks across the land. Golf, American football, basketball, darts, tennis, boxing and rugby are all on offer, with a huge variety of markets on each.

It's the events and sports you won't find at every online sports betting site which set 888 apart. WWE, politics, eSports, TV and Novelty betting can all be found here, which adds great variety to the 888 sportsbook offering.

Game Providers

Betting Odds with 888

The pricing structure is another great asset to the 888Sport brand. We've tested them through both their most popular sports (football, horse racing, tennis etc.) and then also through some of the niche sports we mentioned above, finding that they are often right at the top when it comes to odds.

Betting Features

The football section is where we like to start and this is one of, if not the biggest section on the site. You're able to jump easily between that of the “live and upcoming” matches, “outrights” and then “All football” with the latter being the best for navigation.

The in-play section is a hive of activity and what you will find is that the dedicated match-centre is on offer for pretty much all games that run live. This highlights what's going on in the game, such as the game stats, data and even the position of the ball on the pitch.

The data section of the site is powered by Sportsradar who is widely regarded as one of the best. It's worth noting that the stats here aren't just for football, and they include data on dozens of sports that are linked throughout the 888Sport site.

Springing from football across to horse racing and what a joy this has been to use! They've linked up with Timeform here to provide an insane amount of information on racing in the UK and Ireland.

If you're new to racing, then it highlights which horses to look out for using a simple star rating. Even if you're experienced, you can climb into the form and data that's on offer, which you'd usually be expecting to get from paid racing databases, so to get all this for free is a superb addition.

On top of that, you've also got live streaming for horse racing. You need to wager €1 or more on that specific race to watch it and this is taken from the Racing UK TV channel for domestic races and then from a number of international broadcasters for other races that take place all over the world.

The interactive betslip at 888 allows you to easily flick between singles, multiples and permutations from the bet slip to get creative with your bet type. Also highlights if cash out is available for the bet you are about to place (includes accumulators).

Current Promotions

888Sport is one of the best for promotions, but what we were most impressed by is the number of offers for existing customers as well as new customers, which is often overlooked by many bookies.

Here's a list of what's on offer at the minute:

€5 free bet – Simply bag a winner at odds of 4/1 or bigger and 888Sport will reward you with a €5 free bet. Min stake €10, free bets expire after 7 days and 1 token per day.

US Acca refund – If an acca exclusively includes games from US-based sports (American football, MLB, NBA, NHL etc.) loses by just 1 selection, then you'll get a refund up to €25. Min bet is €5 and the minimum number of legs per acca is 5. Odds of 1.3 or greater for each leg.

Best odds guaranteed – If the starting price of the horse that you backed is larger than the odds that you initially took and that horse goes on to win, 888Sport will pay-out at the higher SP price.

Customer Support

Customer support is pretty solid, although the number of ways that you can contact them is on the low side. The main point of support is a contact form on the site, which is essentially an email. They also include multiple toll phone numbers depending on where you are in the world.

Responsible Gambling Features

888Sport are already a part of Gamcare, whose role it is to help spot problem gamblers. Whilst it's not a requirement by the UK Gambling Commission (who 888Sport are licensed with), it will be coming into action very soon. To see that they've voluntarily taken the step to join them is very pleasing and a great move from the brand.

The first point of contact comes as soon as you've registered an account and if a player is then flagged on the Gamcare system, then they won't be able to register an account.

888 also have a responsible gambling microsite that allows you to see the steps that they are putting in place to help people who have a problem. It's a role that they take very seriously within the company and the site is well worth checking out as a result.

Our Verdict

There are few better in the sports betting sector than 888Sport right now. It's been a pleasure to work through and review the site to be honest, with all the team commenting on how much they have improved over the last 12 months or so.

The sheer volume of features, the updated design and the pricing structure that they have in place are second to none. For us, the shining light was the mobile interface though and we feel that this is the way to go to get the best from the site.

Overall, another fantastic product from the 888 brand and if you've not been able to try the bookmaker yet, then we'd highly recommend them.

Contributors

Hi, I'm James Molloy

"I've worked in the betting industry on product, operations and customer service for several years. A class operator will deliver on many aspects and we cover them all."

Interests

• Sports Betting
• Football
• Online UX

Reviewer since October 2015